Folks use “bulk” and “wholesale” like they mean the same thing and I get why, but they don’t. Bulk is about how much you’re carrying out the door (a few cases of gummies, say) and wholesale is about who you are to the seller, which mostly means you get a trade price because you plan to resell it. You could buy bulk candy for one birthday and never be a wholesaler and a tiny shop on a wholesale account might only ever order a little at a time.
Bulk is about quantity
Going bulk just means you want plenty at once. Maybe it’s to bring the cost per piece down or maybe you’re setting up a candy buffet or a concession stand and you’d really hate to run out halfway through a busy season. Anybody can do that and there’s no business relationship needed.
Wholesale is about the trade relationship
Wholesale is really about the setup and the order size hardly matters. It usually runs through a wholesale account, where a reseller or business pays a trade price. Picture a small shop that reorders steadily a bit at a time (that’s still a wholesale customer even if every order looks modest).
Which applies to you
Say you’re stocking one event. Then bulk candy by the case is what you’re after. If you’re reselling or reordering for a business, a wholesale account and its trade pricing is the better fit. Plenty of people honestly end up using both, a wholesale account that happens to get big orders.
FAQ
What is the difference between bulk and wholesale?
Bulk means a big quantity, bought so each piece costs less. Wholesale is its own thing, the trade price a reseller gets (usually through an account) and how much you order doesn’t really decide it.
Do I need a business to buy bulk candy?
No, not for bulk. People buy a lot of candy for parties or just for themselves and nobody asks them to set up anything. It’s only the wholesale account that’s meant for a business buying at trade pricing to resell.
